joannekate

I had read the dreadful reviews on here and was hesitant to even watch this as everyone had given it a bit of a bashing. I watched it with an open mind and I did really enjoy it. Florence Pugh is brilliant....a very good actress who portrays a woman slipping slowly from perfection in life into something strange and add sinister with aplomb. I loved the sets, the backdrop of pastels and fifties fashions is great....it reminded me of the little town in Edward Scissorhands - the American dream lifestyle. Shades of Stepford wives begin to kick in when you realise everything is too perfect and something really isn't right. The music used in the film is wonderful. Fifties jazz and soul really transports you back to the era. Harry Styles is fairly good. I'm pretty sure that any other competent actor could have portrayed the character just as well, but he wasn't dreadful. It's very watchable and I genuinely didn't guess the twist at the end.

I am a huge horror fan, and the beginning of this film really had my hopes up that it was going to be great. I'd read the rave reviews on here and was very excited that it would be fantastic! The house that it's set in is beautiful and there are shades of Insidious and Sinister, both of which I love, in the first half an hour or so. The story then gets so absolutely ridiculous, the special effects are like a video game, the whole thing becomes like some comedy parody of a B movie that you literally can't help laughing! The last half hour is dreadful. I watched it on my own on a dark and stormy night and I was snorting with laughter. It could have been great. It's a shame. I guessed the "twist" about half way through, even though it was so silly and unbelievable. If you want a chuckle, give it a go. If you want an intelligent scary film, I'd give it a swerve!